Can the lack of sleep cause weight gain?

Not many people realize the full importance of sleep in their lives. While everyone knows that if you don’t get enough sleep you’ll be tired the next day, not as many people understand the complexities of what your body is actually doing while you sleep.

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Lack of Sleep lack of sleep cause weight gain

In fact, your body is extremely busy while you’re sleeping, and it’s just your brain that’s in a subconscious state. While you’re asleep, your body is using the time to perform a wide range of important hormonal and metabolic processes so that your body will be well rested and prepared for the next day.

Among these processes are multiple weight-related hormones. While you sleep, these hormones all kick in, performing various tasks regarding weight loss. Throughout the day, you might have worked out, eaten a healthy diet, and done everything correctly, but that work doesn’t really translate into any actual results over the course of the day.

All of those changes occur while you’re asleep and while these hormones are kicking in. These hormones have many different jobs, including breaking down fat molecules, flushing out your system, and working with your metabolism to fully process the food you ate.

The effectiveness of these hormones can be impacted not only by the amount of sleep you get but the quality of the sleep you get as well. For example, if you’re only working with three hours of sleep, and you were tossing and turning throughout it, your hormones won’t have had enough time to fully complete their jobs before you wake up. lack of sleep cause weight gain

A study at UC Berkley also found that people who didn’t sleep well also made poor food choices. So, instead of choosing healthy, natural foods, the subjects were more likely to choose higher calorie foods like pizza and hamburgers. Another study found that tired people also tended to eat larger portions of food. So, fundamentally, the lack of sleep causes weight gain to occur because of the impact on the food choices you make.

On the other hand, getting a full eight hours of good quality sleep will allow your body’s hormones to get a lot more work done. This could lead to better results from your workouts as well as food choices.

How to Sleep Better

There are a few ways that you can help increase the amount of sleep you get, as well as your quality of sleep. First, you need to get on a consistent schedule. Set yourself a specific time each night that you need to be in bed by, and have alarms set to wake yourself up in the morning. Your body will build a schedule and you’ll be waking about the same time every day. That means, no staying up late if you can help it!

If you have trouble sleeping, try simple fixes like getting a heavier blanket or changing the stiffness of your pillows. Make sure your room is not too bright or too warm.

I like to use essential oils because I find the soothing scent helps me to relax. My favorite oil is lavender and it has been used in several studies to show that lavender oil can help you go to sleep and sleep soundly. Others turn to a relaxing cup of camomile tea at bedtime. This post has more info about essential oils to use to help reduce stress and help you sleep better.

Sometimes the lack of minerals can cause sleeplessness. I find taking a liquid calcium, magnesium supplement at bedtime works wonders. Magnesium helps you to relax and release tension and calcium helps to create melatonin, but more on that in a minute. Iron deficiencies can also cause restless leg syndrome as well as make it hard to fall asleep. So make sure you are getting plenty of iron in your diet. Vitamine D is very important when it comes to sleep as is Vitamin E, especially if you are experiencing night sweats or hot flushes.

The easiest way to get all of your daily nutrients is to take a multivitamin, an EFA (Essential Fatty Acid) supplement along with a calcium supplement. The Youngevity Healthy Body Pack takes care of all these. If you find this cost prohibitive, I suggest the multimineral complex (BTT) along with a good liquid calcium and a Flax Seed oil supplement. You can read more about the vitamins and supplements I recommend.

Along that same track, you can also use melatonin pills to help make you a bit more tired at bedtime. Melatonin is naturally created in your body and it is responsible for regulating your sleep cycles. You can use melatonin supplements so that you not only have an easier time falling asleep but so you stay asleep throughout the night. Start with a small dose to see how you will react. Start with 1mg and work up if needed. I’ve found that 3mg works well for me. 5mg and I’m too groggy the next day, so play with the dose to find what works best for you.

Another natural remedy for sleep is the use of CBD oil. Be sure to read this article about CBD oil to learn how it can help with not only better sleep but other ailments as well. Lavender Oil is also another great essential oil that can help you relax and fall asleep, which may have an impact on your weight.

So, do you see how the lack of sleep cause weight gain and how necessary getting sufficient rest is SO important? This should be an easy way to help you get on the path to a more healthier life, just by getting into bed earlier! lack of sleep cause weight gain

Bottom line, to optimize your weight loss you should focus on your quality of sleep. If you are looking for additional ways to help you be healthy (other than sleep) be sure to read my post about improving your metabolism.